Caishen

Caishen
Traditional Chinese	財ざい神しん
Simplified Chinese	财神
Literal meaning	"God of Wealth"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Cáishén Wade–Giles Ts'ai2-shen2 IPA [tsʰǎɪ.ʂə̌n] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Chòih-sàhn Jyutping Coi4-san4 IPA [tsʰɔj˩ sɐn˩]

"Chinese God of Prosperity" redirects here. For the figure in the Sanxing, see Sanxing (deities)#Fuxing.

Caishen statue at Singapore's Gardens by the Bay to welcome Lunar New Year 2024.

Caishen (traditional Chinese: 財ざい神しん; simplified Chinese: 财神; lit. 'God of Wealth') is the mythological figure worshipped in the Chinese folk religion and Taoism. He has been identified with many historical figures, viewed as his embodied forms, among whom Zhao Gongming (趙ちょう公明こうめい, Wade–Giles: Chao Kung-ming; also known as Zhao Gong Yuanshuai 趙ちょう公こう元帥げんすい "Lord Zhao the Marshal"), Fan Li, and Bi Gan. A large temple of Caishen was built in the 2000s in Zhouzhi, Xi'an, Shaanxi.

Caishen's name is often invoked during the Chinese New Year celebrations. He is often depicted riding a black tiger and holding a golden rod. He may also be depicted with an iron tool capable of turning stone and iron into gold.

Historical personages

Dehua Caishen, c. 1600–1644, Royal Ontario Museum

Several versions of Caishen's incarnations' political affiliation and way of deification are circulated. It is unclear whether they are genuine historical figures, though most of the stories agree that Caishen's most popular incarnation lived during the early Qin dynasty. Most probably it represents the merging of several heterogeneous legends, the one of Bi Gan being the most ancient.

Legend has it that Bi Gan had a wife with the surname Chen. His son was Quan (泉いずみ). After Bi Gan was put to death by his nephew King Zhou of Shang, Bi Gan's wife and son escaped into the woods. His death eventually marked the collapse of the Shang dynasty. Later on, Quan was honoured as the ancestor of all Lins by King Wu of Zhou.

Notwithstanding the above, there is another legendary character of the Chinese God of Wealth which is generally known as Caibo Xingjun (財ざい帛星君くん) amongst Chinese communities. Li Guizu (李り詭祖) was born in the Zichuan District in Shandong Province and held position as a country magistrate. Li Guizu contributed significantly to the district, whilst people built a temple to worship Li Guizu after his death. The late Li Guizu was then conferred the title Caibo Xingjun by the Wude Emperor of Tang dynasty.

The Caishen of all directions

No.	Direction	Name	Title
1	Center (中路なかじ財ざい神しん)	Zhao Gong Ming (趙ちょう公明こうめい)	Military God of Wealth (武たけ財ざい神しん)
2	East (東路あずまじ財ざい神しん)	Xiao Sheng (蕭しょう升ます)	God of Collecting Treasures (招寶天てん尊みこと)
3	West (西にし路ろ財ざい神しん)	Cao Bao (曹寶)	God of Collecting Valuables (納おさめ珍ちん天てん尊みこと)
4	North (北きた路ろ財ざい神しん)	Yao Shao Si (姚少司し)	God of Profitability (利とぎ市し仙せん官かん)
5	South (南みなみ路ろ財ざい神しん)	Chen Jiu Gong (陳ひね九きゅう公おおやけ)	God of Attracting Wealth (招財使者ししゃ)
6	South-East (東南とうなん路ろ財ざい神しん)	Han Xin Ye (韓かん信しん爺じい)	God of Gambling (大だい賭と神しん)
7	South-West (西南せいなん路ろ財ざい神しん)	Liu Hai (劉りゅう海うみ)	God of Luck (偏へん財ざい神しん)
8	North-East (東北とうほく路ろ財ざい神しん)	Shen Wansan (沈萬まん三さん)	God of Gold (金きむ財ざい神しん)
9	North-West (西北せいほく路ろ財ざい神しん)	Tao Zhugong (陶とう朱しゅ公こう)	Civil God of Wealth (文ぶん財ざい神しん)

Caishen sometimes appears as a door god in Chinese and Taoist temples, usually in partnership with the Burning-Lamp Taoist.

Buddhism

Though Caishen is a Chinese folk deity, many Pure Land Buddhists venerate him as a buddha. In esoteric Buddhist schools he is identified as Jambhala.

External links

• Media related to God of Wealth at Wikimedia Commons